No. of employees: 2 full-time and seasonal employees
 
Year founded: 2007
 
Top local officials: Charles and Kimberly Smith, owners, and daughters Lauren Rich, manager, and Brooke Harrell, assistant manager
 
Company description: Carolina Candy Co. is family-owned and operated maker of gourmet toffees and chocolate confections. Its retail store features specialty foods and artisan gifts from around the country that are made solely by other small businesses. The store offers gift boxing in-store, corporate gifting and shipping.
 
Products made locally: Gourmet toffee, peppermint bark, maple bacon bark, pretzel crunch bark, dipped chocolate candies: pecan and salted turtles, “Carolina Buckeyes,” a jumbo peanut butter truffle, and “Hurricane Hash,” a salted peanut and marshmallow treat
 
Product distribution: Kerr Avenue store location or online at carolinacandy.com
 
What made the company decide to make its goods locally? Lauren Rich: “As Wilmington natives, the Smith family wanted to create a unique and delicious experience where a customer would be able to get the most delicious, fresh, highquality gourmet candies available and see right where they are made daily. Fourteen years later, the Smith family is still making everything fresh per order right in their store located on South Kerr Ave in the South Kerr Village Shopping Center. They have expanded the store to ‘Carolina Candy Company and Gifts!’ where you will find a selection of unique specialty foods and artisan gifts not found anywhere else in town that are ready to be gifted or enjoyed by local foodie lovers. Best part is everything is either made right there in the store or from other small businesses across the country.”
 
What’s planned next? Rich: “We would love to expand the store to include even more unique and diverse specialty food and gift selections and be able to offer even more options to our loyal customers. We have been very grateful for the support our customers have shown us and continue to show us both online and in the store through the years and especially this year. As a small family business, the patronage of our customers means everything to us. We could not be more appreciative and grateful to be able to have our business continue right here in our beautiful town.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: To be considered for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal’s MADE feature, contact [email protected].